The World

Health professionals in India are gearing up to begin the world’s most ambitious vaccination campaign after officials there approved the emergency use of two COVID-19 vaccines. And, one of the main issues the US President-elect Joe Biden’s administration will be dealing with when it enters the White House is the war in Afghanistan. Also, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Bahrain have ended their 3-year-old land, air and sea blockade on Qatar.

It’s been one year since the US killed Iran’s top military commander Qasem Soleimani in a drone attack in Iraq. And, on the campaign trail, Democratic candidate Joe Biden said he would end a Trump administration program that makes asylum seekers at the US-Mexico border wait out their court cases in Mexico. President-elect Biden has walked back the timeline of his promise. So what’s next? Also, in the US, hairy crabs are seen as a menace, but in China they are a delicacy — and lately, they are selling big.

Britain has finally severed ties with the European Union ending the Brexit saga. Leaving the EU also marked the end of the Erasmus exchange program, which allowed students to live and study in any other EU country for a year. And, there's a lot of hope riding on 2021. What are the important trends that will shape the year ahead? Also, the University of Texas at San Antonio is home to a collection of more than 2,000 historic Mexican recipe books. During coronavirus lockdowns, they released collections of these recipes online so that cooks can now enjoy them at home.

In 2020, we leaned on videos, music and books more than ever to keep us sane and connected. The World's correspondents check in on the global pop culture trends that captured our lives on lockdown, from Iceland to Kenya to Mexico. And, the 1918 flu pandemic was overshadowed by the destruction of World War I but it still left a lasting cultural legacy — including zombie literature and Ouija boards. Also, we hear new music from a French and Norwegian jazz duo, Mino Cinélu, from Martinique, and Nils Petter Molvær, from Norway. 

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Why is the UK approving the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine now? And, with dosing details changing over time, what exactly, have they approved? As money from the $900 billion US pandemic relief package starts landing in Americans’ bank accounts, we take a comparative look at how other countries have handled economic stimulus during the pandemic. And Argentina's Senate voted to legalize abortions up to 14 weeks of pregnancy. The historic move follows years of grassroots organizing in the predominantly Catholic country.

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Colombian President Iván Duque says his administration will not provide vaccines for undocumented immigrants in the country. It's estimated more than 1 million people from Venezuela are living in Colombia without authorization. And, China is building a southern wall along its border with Myanmar, which is struggling to control the spread of COVID-19. Also, Russia on Monday updated its coronavirus fatality numbers showing the death toll is more than three times higher than previously reported.

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A coordinated effort to vaccinate the population of Europe against the coronavirus got underway on Sunday in what the EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described as a "moment of unity" for the continent. And, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed says that no civilians were killed during the weeks of military operations in the country’s north. But more than 50,000 Ethiopian refugees who fled Tigray for neighboring Sudan tell a different story. Also, scientists have found that there are groups of blue whales living in the Indian Ocean that were previously unknown to researchers. And they have their own unique song.

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Host Marco Werman hits pause on 2020 negativity and revisits some fun stories from a year we'd just as soon forget. Sourdough baking, virtual living, and Norwegian tips to get you through the cold. How people around the globe got through the year.

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After five years of negotiation, consternation and debate, the EU and the UK have finally reached a Brexit trade deal. And for the holiday season, we bring you an hour devoted to literature, music and food — like the obsessive ritual of making British Christmas pudding — along with some of our favorite stories from 2020. Also, reporters in Greece, Israel and Mexico tell us how people there celebrate the holidays during such bleak times.

We’re only 288 people away from reaching our goal of 1,000 donors! When you give $100 or more to support the show, you’ll not only receive an invite to a virtual party with Marco Werman and The World team, you’ll ALSO get to hear your name in our podcast credits! WE NEED YOU! Consider helping us reach our goal today and support independent journalism. Visit www.theworld.org/give to donate. Thank you!

With less than one month left in the White House, President Donald Trump has granted pardons to four Blackwater security guards responsible for the killing of 14 Iraqi civilians in 2007. And with thousands of truck drivers held up since Sunday at Dover port, scuffles ensued with British police when they realized they would not make it home for Christmas. And, we look at how religious rituals and spirituality can help communities build a more just, sustainable world — with a special Christmas song in Swahili.

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We’re only 288 people away from reaching our goal of 1,000 donors! When you give $100 or more to support the show, you’ll not only receive an invite to a virtual party with Marco Werman and The World team, you’ll ALSO get to hear your name in our podcast credits! WE NEED YOU! Consider helping us reach our goal today and support independent journalism. Visit www.theworld.org/give to donate. Thank you!